Editors' Review

This very handy tool lets you open nearly any program, file, folder, or Web site on your system with just a few keystrokes. Launchy is called from the background with a hot key combo, and a small, skinnable box pops up.

Enter the first few letters of a file or program, and Launchy automatically displays the rest of the name. You simply press Enter to open or launch it. If the displayed name isn't the item you want, a few seconds later the tool displays a drop-down list with other likely candidates from which you can choose. In our tests, we were easily able to configure the tool to choose from multiple directories among our system's other users' folders. Besides files, folders, and apps, Launchy also displayed site names from our default browser's Favorites file.

This easy-to-master tool--free and unlimited--performed without a hitch in all our tests, and soon may completely replace our using the Start menu or Windows Explorer. We recommend it for any user.

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Publisher's Description

Launchy is designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager. Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes.

Didn't find most everything, even after customizing search areas. If I have it check the whole drive, most searches just result in a bunch of cached Web results.

Summary

I had it use my Pictures folder, as one of the places to search. Even after setting .jpeg and .jpg files as files to search for, and selecting the option to search within folders up to 100 deep, it comes up with nothing when I enter the names for my pictures. When it does come up with some things, the results are poorly categorized (folders come up instead of the actual programs, etc.) The idea was nice; it just doesn't work.

Launchy stays out of sight, out of mind when not needed. As soon as you press ALT+SPACEBAR it immediately appears. As you begin to type (even just one letter), Launchy will begin to offer you the names of programs, files and folders that match what you typed. You can click on or arrow down to the desired item and press ENTER to run that item. Launchy remembers your prior choices and puts them at the top of the list for that particular letter you typed in subsequent searches. Once you start using Launchy, you'll find you no longer use Windows Start/Search or Start/All Programs ever again. This program is so simple to use and is incredibly useful! I highly recommend it!

Fast, easy opening of programs with no more than a few keystrokes; Easily open any document; Free

Cons

Can be a little tricky for some users to figure out setting up search folders.

Summary

This program is one of the essentials that I always like to have on my computers. I use it for almost everything and hardly bother with the start menu, windows explorer, or even bothering opening my internet browser to use a search engine. I just let Launchy open it for me after I have already entered in my search. It takes a little bit of time to configure where you want to search for different items if you have a cluttered hard drive, but bottom line is that this program is exceptionally well done and would be useful for anyone.

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